North Kent girlguiding volunteer arrested on suspicion of grooming

Brownie and Rainbow groups in north Kent have been cancelled after a volunteer was arrested after a sting by so-called 'paedophile hunters'.

A number of the girl guiding groups have been temporarily suspended after footage of the man being confronted outside his home was posted online.

The 47-year-old has since been quizzed by police and bailed.

The 14-minute video has been viewed 46,000 times and shared by hundreds of Facebook users.

Victoria Finn, a spokeswoman for Girlguiding, said: "We are aware of the very serious allegations that have been made against one of our volunteers.

"We are liaising with the police and relevant statutory authorities as a matter of urgency and have taken swift and appropriate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our members, which is our absolute priority.

"The very public nature of the allegations has meant that unfortunately this has had to involve temporary unit closures, and we are working closely with local volunteers to ensure our young members can continue their guiding experience as soon as possible.

"As this is a live and ongoing police investigation, we can't provide further information at this point.

"To be absolutely clear, safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at Girlguiding and we treat all disclosures, concerns and allegations very seriously."

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: "At 8.29am on Saturday a 47-year-old man from Northfleet was arrested on suspicion of grooming.

"He has been bailed, pending further enquiries, until Thursday, November 29."

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